NFL play-offs: Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans enter divisional round

The NFL play-offs have reached the divisional round and revenge is on a few minds on the road to Super Bowl 56.

After earning a bye last week, the top seeds in each Conference now enter the fray, and the NFC's Green Bay Packers return with a mouthwatering match-up with the San Francisco 49ers.

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the league's reigning MVP, aims to finally get some play-off payback against his boyhood team, who snubbed him in the 2005 draft.

The Buffalo Bills are out to avenge last year's AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, which denied them a place in Super Bowl 55.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won last year's Super Bowl and now they face the Los Angeles Rams, whose star-studded roster is keen to get one over the 'GOAT' Tom Brady, who helped the New England Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl 53.

And the Tennessee Titans, the AFC's top seed, have a point to prove as they kick off week two of the play-offs at home to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.

• Profiles and ones to watch for eight teams in NFL divisional round

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Could 'dangerous match-up' wreck Rodgers' date with destiny?

Way back in 2005, quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith came into the NFL draft as the highest-rated prospects, with San Francisco having the first pick.

Rodgers grew up in California supporting the 49ers but they chose Smith, and the NFL world watched as Rodgers waited and waited to be picked.

Team after team passed on Rodgers before Green Bay put him out of his misery, selecting him with the 24th pick.

"You kind of joke with the guys in the green room: 'who's going to be the last one in there?'" said Rodgers. "It's not that funny when it's you and they're cleaning up the room around you."

But it was being overlooked by San Francisco in particular that has fuelled his NFL success.

Asked at the draft about how disappointed he was, Rodgers replied: "Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn't draft me."

Smith enjoyed a 16-year career but played in just two play-off games for the 49ers while Rodgers is heading for the Hall of Fame having won Super Bowl 45 and been a three-time MVP.

Rodgers is favourite to be named this season's MVP too but a second Super Bowl appearance has eluded the 38-year-old. Although he has a 6-3 record against San Francisco in the regular season, the 49ers have won all three of their play-off meetings - at the end of the 2012, 2013 and 2019 seasons.

And while Green Bay's Matt LaFleur has set a new record for the most regular-season wins by a head coach in his first three years (39), the Packers have fallen one game short of the Super Bowl the last two years.

After thinking about leaving Green Bay last year, Rodgers has hinted at retiring at the end of the season so this could be his last chance to join the elite group of quarterbacks to be multiple Super Bowl winners, while also firing a parting shot at San Francisco.

"This is a special opportunity," he said. "But we're not going to make it bigger than it is.

"We've gotten this far being level-headed and even-keeled and not riding a rollercoaster of emotions, and we're gonna keep on doing the same thing."

However, this year Green Bay face an in-form Niners, who beat the Rams in overtime to book a play-off spot before claiming an upset win at the Dallas Cowboys last week, and their physical style makes them a "dangerous match-up for anybody", according to BBC pundits Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora.

"If you look at them of late, it's a confident group," said LaFleur. "We're going to have to play every play like it's our last."

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'King Henry' could return for top seed Titans

The Cincinnati Bengals selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the first pick of the 2020 draft and in just two seasons they have gone from the league's worst record to the divisional round.

And with rookie receiver Ja'Marr Chase having another big day on wildcard weekend, the Bengals beat the Las Vegas Raiders to claim their first play-off win in 31 years - ending the NFL's longest active drought.

Now they face the Tennessee Titans, arguably the most underrated top seed in NFL history after many wrote off their chances of being a major contender when star running back Derrick Henry fractured a foot in October.

Tennessee were 6-2 and Henry was on course to rush for 2,000 yards for a second straight season, but D'Onta Foreman helped fill the void as the Titans finished with a 12-5 record.

Wide receivers Julio Jones and AJ Brown also had injuries but both returned last month and now Henry could be back as the Titans aim to prove their class by reaching the AFC Championship game for the second time in three years.

"We ran the ball really well, even with Derrick out," said quarterback Ryan Tannehill. "We stuck to our guns and our gameplan, and we can insert him back in."

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OBJ takes on the GOAT

Sunday's first game sees the Los Angeles Rams visit Tampa Bay, the scene of last year's NFL finale, when the Buccaneers became the first team to play in a Super Bowl in their own stadium.

With Super Bowl 56 being staged at SoFi Stadium on 13 February, the Rams aim to repeat the feat and have spent big on trying to make it happen.

Having already had defensive stars Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey in the building, they traded for quarterback Matt Stafford last year then signed Odell Beckham Jr and Von Miller mid-season.

Beckham has enjoyed a new lease of life in 'Tinseltown', with last week's touchdown in the win over Arizona his first in the play-offs and his sixth in nine games for the Rams. The wide receiver even made a 40-yard pass on a trick play.

That was Stafford's first play-off win after 186 NFL games. Now in Tom Brady he faces a man who has 35, including seven Super Bowl wins.

Despite now being 44, the veteran quarterback just keeps getting better, leading the league for both passing yards and touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 5,316 yards and only once before has he had more than the 43 TDs he managed this season.

But the Bucs' ability to protect Brady from the pass rush could be hindered by the absence of Pro Bowl offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs and Ryan Jensen, who are both doubtful after picking up injuries in last week's win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

• NFL play-offs: 49ers, Chiefs and Buccaneers win

Allen and Mahomes set for quarterback duel

The divisional round concludes with a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game between Buffalo and Kansas City, which the Chiefs won 38-24 to reach their second straight Super Bowl.

Both they and the Bills retained their divisional titles this season and enjoyed comfortable wins on wildcard weekend, with quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen each passing for five touchdowns.

But it was Allen, a threat with both his arm and legs, who really caught the eye as Buffalo, who have the league's best defence, claimed a statement win over the once-mighty New England Patriots.

Mahomes, 26, is the youngest player to win a Super Bowl and the league MVP award but Allen is now challenging to be recognised as the best quarterback in the AFC.

The 25-year-old led the Bills to a 38-20 win at Kansas City in October but the Chiefs regrouped after a 3-4 start to the season to finish 12-5. They've also won five straight post-season games at home.

"They're what we aspire to be," said Allen. "We don't want to have that feeling that we had there last year.

"We have to do everything in our power to put our foot forward and make sure our season doesn't end there this year."

NFL play-offs divisional round

Saturday (away team first, times in GMT)

• Cincinnati Bengals v Tennessee Titans (21:30)

• San Francisco 49ers v Green Bay Packers (01:15)

Sunday

• Los Angeles Rams v Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20:00)

• Buffalo Bills v Kansas City Chiefs (23:30)

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